MTZ 1220, Belarus 825, Belarus 8345. Cecil Bearden, OK, USA.

I bought my 1996 Belarus model 825 in May of 2010, for $6,500 from an ad on craigslist, It had about 1500 hours on it, had the original invoice with the owners manual, and the hardbound parts manual. I have put about 400 hours on it to date. I have only spent maybe $200 to date on filters, the cable to actuate the hydraulic lift control, and some turnbuckles for hitch stabilizers. At this time my post hole auger stays mounted on this tractor. The down pressure on the lift is great for digging holes for corner posts..
I bought my 2006 Belarus model 8345 in July of 2010 for $12,000, from an ad on craigslist also and bought it from the original owner. It had approximately 1200 hours on it. The radiator top tank would not hold the radiator cap. I used it for 3 years before replacing the radiator top tank. I have put about 1000 hours on it. It is my "go to" utility tractor. It is used nearly every day in winter to feed cattle. It moves hay, rakes hay and pulls my 8ft JD rotary mower. I have spent about $400 on this tractor on parts to rebuild the slip clutch in the front axle drive ( called a carrier bearing), seals in the rt front wheel, lift control cable, bracket on the external hydraulic control lever ( USA mfd valve), filters, and radiator top tank..
Neither tractor has a working air conditioner, but I attribute that to it being a USA made A/C installed in Milwaukee WI.
Lately both tractor have developed leaks in the gas springs that hold the rear window open.

MTZ / Belarus 520. Jeff Bagwell, TN, USA

New member here, from Middle Tennessee, USA! Found this forum while searching for parts for a tractor I just received. Glad to be a part of this community, and hope to share with and learn from others around the world. Now, here's a little (maybe a little long) background on the tractor that is now in my shed. It's quite a story, and we have a long history working together.
In the mid-70's, at the age of about 12, I began helping a neighbor on his farm. We raised corn, soybeans and tobacco, and worked 2 "new" Belarus MTZ-520 tractors, as well as other Farmall, Ford, and International tractors. The 520's were the workhorses of the farm and took the heavy work with ease. Many, many hours were spent on these, and we hardly ever had an issue. They just ran, and pulled whatever we hooked to them. Fast forward to my college years, (1985-1989) and that's when we setup a dairy operation. Milking 60-80 cows on the afternoon shift, every-day, I didn't have much time to get into mischief, and I credit this dairy to keeping me in college. The 520's were still the work horses of the farm, pulling silage choppers, silage wagons, as well as ground prep and planting. They just ran, and ran, and ran. I left the farm work after college, 30 years ago, and the boss man continued to run these tractors until he passed away 10 years ago.